Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game for 2 or more players, set in a variety of fantastical realms. The cards represent the player's resources and available spells and their interactions lead to an often high paced battle of wits.
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What are good strategies for booster drafts?
I know that doing a booster draft can be somewhat complicated, because to really be good you need to know a lot about the set you're drafting (or be really good at evaluating cards quickly) and to pay ...
7
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4answers
859 views
How do twitch effects work with the stack vs activated tap abilities?
I'm becoming more and more confused as I learn about how things have changed during a break in play I had some time ago. Seems the stack has changed now, and oft times abilities use a source's last ...
7
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4answers
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What does protection from [quality] do?
Example 1) Let's say I have some random creature with protection from white, and my opponent plays Day of Judgement, a white card with the effect "destroy all creatures." Can my creature with ...
16
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1answer
3k views
In MTG, what happens when a player loses in multiplayer?
In Magic: The Gathering, the rules for a player losing in a multiplayer game are quite complex, so I'd like to try to understand them by example. I would be happy to ask each of these situations as a ...
9
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1answer
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In Magic free-for-all multiplayer, what happens when someone dies?
In a free-for-all multiplayer Magic game, what happens when someone dies?
Specifically:
What happens to spells they've cast that are on the stack?
What happens to enchantments they have cast onto ...
7
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1answer
3k views
If I Unsummon a blocking creature will my attacker damage my opponent?
Suppose Player 1 has a Dragon on the table and Unsummon in hand, while Player 2 has two Spiders on the table.
Player 1 chooses to attack with the Dragon and Player 2 chooses to block with one of the ...
5
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2answers
1k views
Can you claim a Double Sacrifice Bonus?
Two very closely related questions:
If a card has two different "Sacrifice this creature for X" abilities on it, does sacrificing it give both benefits?
Likewise, if a card requires a creature to be ...
19
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2answers
1k views
How can I tell when to take a mulligan in Magic?
Determining when to mulligan is a very important skill in magic. But how can I hone my abilities in that skill? Obviously if I had no/all land I'd probably want to mulligan as the opportunity to ...
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4answers
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Does “Going Infinite” necessarily end the game?
I've seen a variety of combinations that will allow a player to "go infinite"* in life, power, toughness or simply create an endless loop**.
In the case of the endless loop, I understand why it ...
9
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4answers
7k views
Learning to build multi-color decks in Magic
I'm a MTG noob, and currently I've only built single-color decks. However, I want to explore the art of building decks that use cards of multiple colors.
What are the advantages of a multicolor ...
10
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2answers
304 views
Are copied spells cast from the graveyard?
If you copy Increasing Confusion or any other "cast from the graveyard" spell with Increasing Vengeance, does the copy act like it was cast from the graveyard? Or, since the copy technically was not ...
10
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7answers
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Is there any way to rehabilitate the “junk rare” Lost In The Woods?
I've really been enjoying the incredible Innistrad set, and advance previews of Dark Ascension (on the Wizards official site and elsewhere) have been living up to it so far. However, I had to do a ...
9
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1answer
1k views
What is the resolution of tapping a blocking creature?
Let's say I have declared a blocker during the correct phase and during the activate abilities step I choose to tap the blocker to use its ability.
All the abilities resolve and now we move to the ...
9
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3answers
4k views
Does Wrath of God really destroy creatures with shroud?
I heard - (from an official MtG judge) - that Wrath of God ("Destroy all creatures") destroys creatures with the Shroud ability, because it doesn't target a single creature, it targets all creatures.
...
7
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3answers
239 views
How do you handle fast players in a casual setting that skip priority?
This really isn't a problem in a tournament setting, because players are expected to know the rules, and will usually ask their opponent if they wish to take any actions before allowing a spell to ...
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2answers
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Does Cremate counter Flashback, Scavenge, and their ilk?
I'm looking at the card Cremate:
Cremate - {B}
Instant - common RTR
Exile target card from a graveyard.
Draw a card.
Now, can I use this to respond to a flashback or scavenge?
...
2
votes
1answer
395 views
How does metalcraft work in Two-Headed-Giant?
I'm playing Two-Headed-Giant and have a creature with metalcraft. I control 1 artifact and my teammate controls 2. Does my creature's metalcraft ability 'trigger'?
I know metalcraft says "if you ...
18
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3answers
2k views
What are good strategies against counterspell decks?
I'm currently honing a white-green tokens deck for Standard tournament play. I feel like I have a good handle on my game-plan for most of the other common archetypes, but I'm really stymied playing ...
17
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8answers
2k views
Why Does Magic Use The “Paris Mulligan” Rule?
In the early days, Magic had crazy, subpar mulligan rules: you could shuffle up and draw a new 7 if your hand had no lands or all lands, otherwise you were out of luck. A long time ago the Paris ...
16
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4answers
4k views
Can someone explain the Damage on the Stack rule change?
I played Magic: The Gathering when Unlimited first came out, and quit shortly after Antiquities were released. About a month ago I started playing again.
I was trying to find what the biggest ...
14
votes
1answer
8k views
How can I tell the difference between early Magic: The Gathering card editions?
I have a few Magic: The Gathering cards whose editions I'm having trouble identifying. They are obviously from either Alpha or Beta, since they have black borders and the same design as the Unlimited ...
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4answers
1k views
Why was Gifts Ungiven so popular?
Back in Kamigawa Block, Gifts Ungiven was a very popular card, showing up in a good percentage of blue decks. I don't understand why it's considered useful. What made this card so popular?
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1answer
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How can a blue control deck be made more efficient?
It seems like my games last a long time and I don't do that much damage. Is that what it's supposed to feel like when using a control deck? How can I win more efficiently?
Here is my deck:
Lands
19x ...
27
votes
3answers
2k views
In Magic, when can I tap my opponent's creatures to prevent them from attacking?
Whilst I haven't played Magic in a while, use of the stack was something that I always found a little confusing. When I first started out, our group could tap an opponents attacking creature after ...
12
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1answer
667 views
Running a MTG draft without actually having to buy new boosters for each player every single time?
MTG drafting sounds like a really awesome way to play the game. I'd love to try it with some of my friends, but having to spent >5$ for each player every single time you want to play seems ...
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12answers
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What is the fastest MTG Mill deck that can be made?
I have been working on putting together a Mill deck and it occurred to me that there are likely much faster Milling decks out there. So, what is the fastest Milling win condition that can be achieved?
...
11
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3answers
758 views
Can I use a card with “Add one mana of any color to your mana pool” in any Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) deck?
I recently tried Elder Dragon Highlander/Commander, and found it to be a ton of fun. I've started customizing one of the pre-cons I got, but I'm a little confused by some of the deck-building ...
8
votes
2answers
4k views
What are the possible archetypes in Innistrad draft?
Assuming Innistrad-Innistrad-Innistrad in a booster draft, what are the potential archetypes a player could draft?
For a reference, see Alex P's answer to another quetion here
8
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6answers
610 views
When should I add life gain cards to my deck in MTG?
One common mistake in MTG is to overvalue life-gain cards (at least in 2 player games) because they don't do anything to actually help you WIN the game, and only make you lose slower. This makes them ...
8
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3answers
2k views
MtG: Can poison counters be removed?
Is there some way to remove or counteract poison counters? Specifically, once you've already accumulated them, not when you are dealt them.
For example, say I already have 9 poison counters. Is there ...
7
votes
1answer
976 views
Can Thraben Heretic be used on creatures with undying?
Thraben Heretic says:
{T}: Exile target creature card from a graveyard.
Undying says:
Undying (When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under ...
7
votes
1answer
687 views
Does “prevent all damage to target creature” save the other creatures in a gang block?
In The Great Designer Search 2, one of the participants designed this card:
CW15 - Improvised Shield
1W
Instant
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn.
...
7
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2answers
1k views
Types of EDH mana base
After looking at a number of EDH deck lists I have seen two distinct types of mana bases used by various decks.
Some decks use a large number of basic lands, dual lands and utility lands.
Other ...
7
votes
2answers
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What caused “Liliana of the Veil” to double its price during a single week?
When Innistrad came out in the beginning of September 2011, the most expensive card was "Liliana of the Veil", selling for a little over $25.
This card kept this price for almost a month. On ...
7
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1answer
223 views
Does anybody know of a list of color-appropriate effects for new cards in Magic?
My playgroup has started to get into creating custom cards for our casual Magic: the Gathering games, but it's no fun if the cards aren't designed in a plausible way.
According to Mark Rosewater's ...
6
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2answers
839 views
How to prevent being overrun in the early game?
My girlfiend has a U/G standard deck (Scars/M12/Innistrad), and she's having issues with being overrun in the early game so that she can take off late game with her deck (once it takes off it's nearly ...
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1answer
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Where can I find a database with a list of all magic cards?
I am going to write a program to manage my library of Magic cards and I am looking for a database file or list of all of the cards that have been released. I know that the Gathering site is useful, ...
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6answers
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Why would you want to play with a deck bigger than 60 cards in MTG?
In Magic the Gathering, the decks are required to be no less than 60 cards, but can be larger. Since you can only have 4 of each card (except for basic lands), it seems you would want the limit size ...
17
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1answer
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Why doesn't Undying trigger if a creature with +1/+1 counters dies from -1/-1 counters?
From the Dark Ascension FAQ:
If a creature with undying that has a +1/+1 counter on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner's graveyard ...
15
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2answers
3k views
Does Infect count as damage?
I have a card named Dissipation Field that reads, "Whenever a permanent deals damage to you, return it to its owner's hand."
If my opponent attacks me with a creature with infect (i.e. Cystbearer) ...
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3answers
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How does Infect interact with Lifelink?
When a creature with Infect and Lifelink puts poison counters on a player, does the controlling player gain life? Do all abilities that trigger on combat damage still occur?
A link to an official ...
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4answers
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How does regeneration work in Magic the Gathering?
How does the regeneration works? I know that if my creature is destroyed then I can spend X mana then tap my creature and move it out of combat. Is it attackable in any way after that? With spells or ...
10
votes
1answer
157 views
Dark Confidant and split cards
On my upkeep controlling a Dark Confidant I trigger revealing a card and losing life to it's cmc cost. What happens if I have a split card with 2 identifiable spells? Do I get to choose which one I ...
10
votes
2answers
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What happens when a commander is exiled?
Let's say you have a commander on the field, and an opponent uses Sisters Of Stone Death to force your commander to block the sisters and then exiles your commander? Does it remain exiled, or does it ...
10
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1answer
25k views
How many lands should I have in my sealed or draft decks?
A standard draft deck has 40 cards in it; a 4-booster sealed deck has 30 cards. How many lands should I put in each of these formats? And why do I need this ratio?
The conventional wisdom that I ...
9
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1answer
2k views
Do creatures that enter the battlefield at the same time see each other enter?
Let's say I have Goldnight Commander on the board. He is a 2/2 that says:
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
...
9
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1answer
229 views
When two card texts confict, which takes priority?
Let's suppose there are creatures in play and someone plays Humility.
It's clear that all the creatures lose their abilities.
How is this situation changed if True Conviction were in play? Is the ...
9
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1answer
2k views
How does the double strike mechanic interact with other mechanics like lifelink or trample?
I understand that the double strike mechanic allows a creature to attack in both a first strike combat damage step and a normal combat damage step.
It's clear that when a creature with no other ...
9
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2answers
2k views
Can you sacrifice a tapped creature?
If a creature has both a sacrifice and tap ability can you tap it for the tap benefit and then sacrifice it for the sacrifice ability?
(Example: Gemhide Sliver taps for mana, Basal Sliver gives mana ...
9
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1answer
650 views
How does Inquisitor's Flail interact with Trample?
Lets say I am attacking with a Runeclaw Bear with an Inquisitor's Flail equipped. My opponent uses a Runeclaw Bear of his own to block. I then use Kessig Wolf Run to give my creature +3/+0 and ...
